Music Reviews

Sound Tracks for Forgiveness

by Beverly Ingle / San Antonio-based freelance writer

For Acme Care – jbruce@acmecare.com

Sweet Forgiveness (album) — Bonnie Raitt, 1977 (remastered in 2001)

Ms. Raitt’s voice is simply intoxicating, and when it’s laced with emotion as it is in Sweet Forgiveness, it is downright irresistible. Originally released more than three decades ago, the title song is timeless, an homage to bumbling love but with a determination to keep trying, wrapped up in a bluesy twinge that is classic Raitt. In a way, the song makes forgiveness a bit sexy. The whole of the album is bittersweet, with cuts such as “My Opening Farewell” and “Takin’ My Time” channeling the universal ache and yearning inherent in all relationships to create nearly 40 minutes of life’s soundtrack.

Forgiven, Not Forgotten (single) — The Corrs, 1995

Remember the Corrs, the impossibly attractive quartet of Irish siblings who broke onto the music scene in the mid-’90s? Hailing from Dundalk, Ireland, and the Corrs blend delicious harmonies with a touch of Irish folk traditional melodies and some powerful vocals to create quite moving music. “Forgiven, Not Forgotten” resonates with anyone who has accomplished the sometimes arduous task of forgiveness, but who will never quite reach the nirvana of forgetting the transgression that was forgiven. Have a box of tissues handy; you may need it.

Ghosts That We Knew (single) — Mumford & Sons, 2012

If you have yet to discover Mumford & Sons, an English folk/rock band that began its rise to prominence in the U.S. in 2010, a year culminating in two Grammy award nominations, grab the iPod of the nearest teenager and take a listen. I’ll bet you £20 you’ll find a few of their songs. A distinct blend of lightly accented vocals, the tinny sound of a banjo, and raw lyrics is the hallmark of Mumford & Sons. “Ghosts That We Knew,” first debuted during a live appearance on Radio 104.5 in Philadelphia. The response from fans was huge, and the song became regularly requested at Mumford & Sons’ live shows.